Saturday, March 30, 2002
Serious Sam. Dave and Terry invited me to a multi-player gaming session over the wire, scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The game: Serious Sam. It's one of those first-person shooter games where you run in, pick up health, weapons, and shields and try to kill as many things on the screen as possible. A few years ago, I had been heavily into gaming -- mostly multi-player Internet and BBS games (MUDS and the like) -- however, I have this nasty tendency to get completely sucked into them and find myself incapable of doing much else. Productivity goes out the window and I am attached to the computer like a life support system.
I tried my hand at Diablo II months ago and found myself with that old familiar feeling: Addiction. I felt compelled to keep playing -- at least to get to the next level. And the next level. And the next level. I had to get my fix. In a word, it was dangerous.
I'm somewhat apprehensive about starting Serious Sam, especially in multi-player mode. Gaming with others is a blast -- a bit too much fun when I'm supposed to be doing productive things like finishing up the 700-piece bulk mailing for my client, creating a client's web site, and creating more inventory for my upcoming craft fair. Oh yeah, and other important things like updating this site.
Although, I must admit that sometimes I just feel like doing something completely unproductive. Something that I can do just for fun. I've been feeling like I've been working non-stop between my full-time job and my home business. Maybe I will allow myself an hour or two of Serious Sam tomorrow night with the boys. Maybe it is time for some unproductive fun.
posted by Donna, 3/30/2002 12:02:09 PM
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Good Friday. April wrote a wonderful entry about her thoughts about Good Friday and the crucifixion of Jesus.
I've been listening to pastors on Christian radio describing in fine detail about what Christ endured that day 2000 years ago. As Chuck Swindoll and Greg Laurie described every brutal detail, it helped me to realize and appreciate all that Jesus did for us. The pain he suffered, the humiliation, the feeling of being forsaken, and the agony of taking the sins of the world upon his own sinless head. If the story stopped there, it would be an utter tragedy -- the most unjust death in all of human history.
But it doesn’t end there. Yes, he died. But he also rose again.
And he lives today.
posted by Donna, 3/30/2002 09:24:03 AM
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Wednesday, March 27, 2002
H E A D A C H E. I'm not sure what brought it on, but it's quite phenomenal. This has to be one of the most awful headaches that I've had in a long time. I popped an Orudis that Lori gave me, but I found that it offered no help at all. My Tylenol supply was spent and I didn't have any Alleve on hand. I figured that I'd just drink some water and tough it out.
Even without drugs, usually I'm able to ignore the pain and continue with my normal activities in spite of a headache, but this one made me feel like just closing my eyes and lying down for a long nap. Unfortunately, I was bent on getting organized at work and catching up on some important items on my To-Do list before going home. Finally, at 6:30 pm, I relented to the pain and decided to call it a night.
By that time, I was barely able to drive and found myself driving with one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on my neck, massaging my tense muscles the entire way home. It felt as though my neck was the epicenter of the pain, spreading to my head and shoulders. Massaging it helped ever so slightly, while bright lights and loud noises aggravated it.
When I got home, I fixed myself a bowl of Miso Soup (yes, my favorite daily fix) and some brown rice and sat down in front of the computer to relax. (Don't you relax in front of the computer?) After consuming the soup and generous amounts of ice water, I found my headache starting to subside for the first time in four hours. I'm feeling almost back to normal now.
Maybe this is my wake up call, reminding me that even I need to slow down, relax and get some rest once in a while. I've been on overdrive for the past several weeks and perhaps it's time to let the engine cool down -- at least for a little while. Tomorrow I am sure that I will wake up feeling recharged and ready to put the pedal to the metal again. At least I hope so!
posted by Donna, 3/27/2002 08:14:54 PM
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Monday, March 25, 2002
Thank you to Rod who gave me this link like weeks ago... but I never got around to going to the site. Check this out, it's quite amusing!
Be sure to give it some time and look really hard at the picture. Sometimes you have to look pretty close to see it. Actually, if you put your face up close to the monitor, it might help:
http://www.visi.com/~dell1/whatswrong.swf
posted by Donna, 3/25/2002 07:25:14 PM
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VAN CAM AHEAD. Recently many local residents have been protesting the new system of catching speeding drivers on the highways in Hawaii using what is now known as "Van Cams" or "Speed Vans." Most of the protest comes in the form of calls to radio station talk shows, letters to the editor of the newspaper, or simply discussions around the office water cooler. However, today, I saw one of the more creative ways to protest the Van Cams. In the drizzling rain, a had man parked his car on the shoulder and was standing on the median with a crude handwritten sign that simply said "VAN CAM." Warning potential drivers of the Van Cam ahead was his little contribution and quiet protest to the new system.
I thought this was pretty amusing since I couldn't imagine wasting time standing on the median with a sign like that -- especially not in the rain. Although, I'm sure his efforts probably saved at least a few drivers from receiving a speeding ticket in their mailbox this week.
posted by Donna, 3/25/2002 06:53:19 PM
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There's a hole in my pocket. Money seems to keep slipping out of my pocket and into someone else's. So you read about the car repair woes... well, now it seems that it's Uncle Sam's turn to put his greedy little hand into my pocket to see what he can find. According to TurboTax, he's found $600+ to add to his coffers.
I can be thankful that it's less than what we've had to pay in the past. If it's under $800, I'm pretty happy. Well, okay, maybe "happy" is a strong word. "Not terribly sad" might be a better way to put it. Maybe I should consider doing an estimated tax payment throughout the year so it doesn't hurt quite so much every April. For all intents and purposes, April 15 should be wiped off my calendar. It's the bane of my existence, really. But it's also a part of life, I suppose. Oh well.
Grudgingly, I render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. Bleh.
posted by Donna, 3/25/2002 06:41:09 PM
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Sunday, March 24, 2002
Easter Greetings. Check out the New Hope Flash animation e-card for Easter! Way cool. Hope to see you there!
posted by Donna, 3/24/2002 12:09:54 PM
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Happy Birthday, Shari! I'm losing track of the days here... March 23 came and went -- so now I need to extend a belated happy birthday wish to Shari who turned 28 yesterday. (Hah! We're the same age now, sis... *grin*)
posted by Donna, 3/24/2002 11:55:41 AM
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